Event #33: $50,000 Poker Players Championship
Day 5 Completed
2018 World Series of Poker
Event #33: $50,000 Poker Players Championship
Day: 5
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2018 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$50,000
Prize Pool
$4,176,000
Entries
87
Level
25
Limits
200,000 / 400,000
Ante
0
Level 25
: 200,000/400,000, 0 ante
When the 2018 $50,000 Poker Players Championship ended, about 40 people spilled onto the World Series of Poker stage and began chanting.
"Grind-er! Grind-er! Grind-er!"
The legend of Michael Mizrachi grows again.
Mizrachi won the PPC for an unprecedented third time, taking down $1,239,126 in prize money for the sixth seven-figure score in what seems certain to go down as a career for the ages. He also won the ultra-prestigious event in 2010 and 2012.
It's the fourth bracelet overall for Grinder, who also won a WSOP Europe event in 2011.
"It's quite an accomplishment," he admitted. "To win the first one was amazing. The second one was great. The third one is unheard of."
Official Final Table Results
| Place | Winner | Country | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Mizrachi | United States | $1,239,126 |
| 2 | John Hennigan | United States | $765,837 |
| 3 | Dan Smith | United States | $521,782 |
| 4 | Mike Leah | Canada | $364,197 |
| 5 | Benny Glaser | United Kingdom | $260,578 |
| 6 | Aaron Katz | United States | $191,234 |
Considering Mizrachi's incredible history of deep runs in the PPC — twice having his name etched on the David "Chip" Reese Memorial Trophy plus a fourth-place finish in 2016 and an agonizing bubble bustout in 2017 — and the fact he bagged chip lead on each of the last three days, it may look like he was destined for victory.
In fact, Mizrachi said, he had a poor Day 1 and showed up late to Day 2, fumbling his coffee as he rushed to take his seat.
"It was a seven-minute delay," he said. "We had to move tables. After that, everything turned around. It was a good move by me."
Indeed, Grinder turned things around and proceeded to utterly dominate. He scarcely conceded the lead after gaining it on Day 2 despite operating in the typically elite field the PPC brings out. The final 11 players featured eight multiple-time bracelet winners, including icon Phil Ivey, two-time PPC winner Brian Rast and 2014 PPC champ "Johnny World" Hennigan.
Knowing they have to face a lineup that can chew up any seasoned pro and spit out his or her bones, many people would study up on their preferred poker resources, be they books, simulations or charts. Others would ratchet up the mental preparation. At the very least, most would look to come in well-rested with a good night's sleep.
Aspiring PPC champs looking to emulate Mizrachi's success should take note: that isn't his formula. He said he was out late plenty during the tournament, getting just a few hours of sleep before hitting the gym in the morning. He donned a necklace of lava beads given to him by his girlfriend's brother as a good-luck charm, sat down and crushed.
He came into the final table with a big chip lead against Hennigan, Dan Smith, Benny Glaser, Aaron Katz and Mike Leah. All talented and hugely motivated — particularly the bracelet-less Smith, who would go on to his sixth top-three finish — but all seemed like so much fodder to be minced by Grinder. He was simply running too hot, making nut hands left, right and center.
"I never had big swings this whole tournament," Mizrachi admitted. "All the cards went my way. I hit a bunch of hands. Everything went my way. I just won every pot."
Two key hands from the final table stood out. Smith pushed hard three-handed and moved into the lead against Hennigan and Mizrachi. However, Mizrachi reasserted himself in a massive 2-7 Triple Draw hand wherein he drew three and instantly made a wheel. He got four bets in against Smith, with Hennigan putting in two for good measure. Smith drew and then made the third nuts, so they got three more bets in before Smith just called a single bet on the end when they both patted.
Then, the biggest hand of the tournament went down in a three-bet Omaha Hi-Lo pot that saw Mizrachi flop Broadway and slowplay before raising the turn to get two bets from both of his opponents. Smith paid off a river bet and Mizrachi suddenly had a hammerlock on things with two-thirds of the chips in play.
After Smith lost his remaining chips, the two former PPC champs took a break and then met back up to determine whether "Johnny World" would join the ranks of two-time winners or Grinder would be the first to No. 3.
The match didn't last long as 2-7 Triple Draw proved to be Mizrachi's boon once again. He won two big hands there and then finished Hennigan in old standby No-Limit Hold'em, the game where Mizrachi first made his name. They played a three-bet pot and Hennigan stacked off with an open-ender postflop but ran into Mizrachi's second pair and a flush draw. A ten of hearts on the turn locked it up for Grinder, as it completed his draw.
The crowd exploded onto the stage and began chanting for Mizrachi before cramming themselves into photos together.
"When you have a great group of friends, family and fans, it's an amazing feeling," Mizrachi said of the crowd. "It boosts my confidence. I think it helped me out. I felt like I had to do this for them."
Mizrachi matched brother Rob at the top of the family rankings with four bracelets and joked that he's going to ramp up his playing schedule just to move into first by himself.
Dinner table bragging rights aside, Grinder has forced observers and players alike to consider his place in poker lore. Three PPC titles, a fourth bracelet, two WPT titles and nearly $17 million in cashes paints a picture of one of the most accomplished players in tournament history.
With this title, Mizrachi said felt he had done enough to cement a place in the Poker Hall of Fame. And as far as his ability at the table goes, while he acknowledged he still has doubters, he feels even they have to give him credit at this point.
"I think I've done enough to where people will give me the respect I deserve," he said.
Level 25
: 200,000/400,000, 0 ante
The Poker Players Championship is one of the most prestigious events around the world, and some of the best players have made their mark in this event.
Michael Mizrachi is now the only three-time winner ahead of two-time winner Brian Rast. Consequently, they both sit first and second on the all time list for Poker Players Championship earnings. On the back of a win two years ago, and a second place this year, John Hennigan sits third, while Freddy Deeb sits fourth on the back of winning the Poker Players Championship with the biggest first prize.
The only two players in the top ten that haven't won a Poker Players Championship is Andy Bloch and John Hanson. Bloch took second back in 2005 to David "Chip" Reese while also adding a further three cashes and one final table. Hanson sits ninth overall on the back of two final tables and two cashes.
WSOP All Time Poker Players Championship Results by Player
| Rank | Player | Country | Wins | Final Tables | Cashes | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Michael Mizrachi | United States | 3 | 4 | 4 | $4,630,641 |
| 2nd | Brian Rast | United States | 2 | 2 | 3 | $3,160,474 |
| 3rd | John Hennigan | United States | 1 | 3 | 4 | $3,091,166 |
| 4th | Freddy Deeb | Lebanon | 1 | 1 | 2 | $2,360,462 |
| 5th | Matthew Ashton | United Kingdom | 1 | 1 | 3 | $2,025,385 |
| 6th | Scotty Nguyen | United States | 1 | 1 | 1 | $1,989,120 |
| 7th | Andy Bloch | United States | -- | 2 | 4 | $1,813,988 |
| 8th | David "Chip" Reese | United States | 1 | 1 | 1 | $1,784,640 |
| 9th | John Hanson | United States | -- | 2 | 2 | $1,641,679 |
| 10th | Mike Gorodinsky | United States | 1 | 1 | 3 | $1,519,715 |
| 11th | Elior Sion | United Kingdom | 1 | 1 | 2 | $1,512,338 |
| 12th | Bruno Fitoussi | France | -- | 2 | 2 | $1,448,599 |
| 13th | David Bach | United States | 1 | 1 | 2 | $1,436,646 |
| 14th | Michel DeMichele | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $1,243,200 |
| 15th | Chris Klodnicki | United States | -- | 2 | 2 | $1,148,249 |
| 16th | Vladimir Schemelev | Russia | -- | 1 | 2 | $1,131,904 |
| 17th | Don Nguyen | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $1,096,254 |
| 18th | Phil Hellmuth | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $1,063,034 |
| 19th | Matt Glantz | United States | -- | 2 | 3 | $1,044,458 |
| 20th | Minh Ly | United States | -- | 2 | 2 | $975,593 |
| 21st | Brandon Shack-Harris | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $937,975 |
| 22nd | Barry Greenstein | United States | -- | 2 | 4 | $928,919 |
| 23rd | Phil Ivey | United States | -- | 1 | 3 | $889,047 |
| 24th | Jean-Robert Bellande | United States | -- | 1 | 2 | $873,455 |
| 25th | Johannes Becker | Germany | -- | 1 | 1 | $862,649 |
| 26th | Justin Bonomo | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $801,048 |
| 27th | Erick Lindgren | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $781,440 |
| 28th | David Singer | United States | -- | 2 | 2 | $749,280 |
| 29th | David Oppenheim | United States | -- | 1 | 2 | $745,545 |
| 30th | Huck Seed | United States | -- | 2 | 3 | $708,651 |
| 31st | David "ODB" Baker | United States | -- | 1 | 2 | $657,123 |
| 32nd | Abe Mosseri | United States | -- | 1 | 3 | $642,726 |
| 33rd | Isaac Haxton | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $595,812 |
| 34th | Jesse Martin | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $594,570 |
| 35th | Amnon Filippi | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $586,080 |
| 36th | Lyle Berman | United States | -- | 1 | 2 | $573,957 |
| 37th | Jim Bechtel | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $549,120 |
| 38th | Eric Wasserson | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $545,772 |
| 39th | Daniel Negreanu | Canada | -- | 1 | 3 | $535,634 |
| 40th | Erik Sagstrom | Sweden | -- | 1 | 1 | $522,393 |
| 41st | Dan Smith | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $521,782 |
| 42nd | Robert Mizrachi | United States | -- | 1 | 3 | $516,650 |
| 43rd | David Benyamine | France | -- | 1 | 1 | $497,122 |
| 44th | Daniel Alaei | United States | -- | 1 | 3 | $492,771 |
| 45th | Scott Seiver | United States | -- | 1 | 3 | $484,567 |
| 46th | Owais Ahmed | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $482,058 |
| 47th | T.J. Cloutier | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $480,480 |
| 48th | Dewey Tomko | United States | -- | 1 | 2 | $474,624 |
| 49th | Mike Wattel | United States | -- | 1 | 3 | $467,046 |
| 50th | Kenny Tran | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $444,000 |
| 51st | John Juanda | Indonesia | -- | 1 | 1 | $436,865 |
| 52nd | Ivo Donev | Austria | -- | 1 | 1 | $419,337 |
| 53rd | Luke Schwartz | United Kingdom | -- | 1 | 1 | $406,736 |
| 54th | Doyle Brunson | United States | -- | 1 | 2 | $398,880 |
| 55th | Ralph Perry | United States | -- | -- | 3 | $392,200 |
| 56th | George Danzer | Germany | -- | 1 | 1 | $388,523 |
| 57th | Vitaly Lunkin | Russia | -- | 1 | 1 | $368,812 |
| 58th | Mike Leah | Canada | -- | 1 | 1 | $364,197 |
| 59th | Ben Sulsky | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $353,928 |
| 60th | Roland Israelashvili | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $ 317,882 |
| 61st | Paul Volpe | United States | -- | 1 | 2 | $312,813 |
| 62nd | Jonathan Duhamel | Canada | -- | 1 | 2 | $307,018 |
| 63rd | George Lind | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $300,441 |
| 64th | Ray Dehkharghani | United States | -- | 1 | 2 | $299,617 |
| 65th | Aaron Katz | United Kingdom | -- | 1 | 2 | $288,562 |
| 66th | Chun Lei Zhou | Macau | -- | 1 | 1 | $286,122 |
| 67th | Tommy Hang | United States | -- | -- | 2 | $279,292 |
| 68th | Shaun Deeb | United States | -- | -- | 2 | $275,733 |
| 69th | Will Wilkinson | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $272,558 |
| 70th | David "Bakes" Baker | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $272,275 |
| 71st | Benny Glaser | United Kingdom | -- | 1 | 1 | $260,578 |
| 72nd | Stephen Chidwick | United Kingdom | -- | 1 | 1 | $253,497 |
| 73rd | Jeff Lisandro | Australia | -- | -- | 2 | $248,635 |
| 74th | Patrick Bueno | France | -- | 1 | 1 | $230,880 |
| 75th | Ville Wahlbeck | Finland | -- | 1 | 1 | $219,655 |
| 76th | Frank Kassela | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $212,829 |
| 77th | Patrik Antonius | Finland | -- | -- | 1 | $205,920 |
| 78th | Robert Williamson III | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $205,920 |
| 79th | Gavin Smith | Canada | -- | -- | 1 | $205,920 |
| 80th | Bill Chen | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $205,856 |
| 81st | Brett Richey | United States | -- | -- | 2 | $204,579 |
| 82nd | Ben Lamb | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $201,338 |
| 83rd | Joe Cassidy | United States | -- | -- | 2 | $193,227 |
| 84th | James Obst | Australia | -- | -- | 2 | $192,767 |
| 85th | Thor Hansen | Norway | -- | 1 | 1 | $188,256 |
| 86th | Mike Matusow | United States | -- | -- | 2 | $186,128 |
| 87th | Dan Kelly | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $184,222 |
| 88th | Chau Giang | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $184,087 |
| 89th | Mikael Thuritz | Sweden | -- | 1 | 1 | $182,463 |
| 90th | Raymond Davis | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $177,600 |
| 91st | Michael Glick | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $173,796 |
| 92nd | Jason Lester | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $168,529 |
| 93rd | Melissa Burr | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $165,435 |
| 94th | Erik Seidel | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $162,381 |
| 95th | Nick Schulman | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $152,730 |
| 96th | Alexander Kostritsyn | Russia | -- | -- | 1 | $152,730 |
| 97th | Bryn Kenney | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $147,882 |
| 98th | Greg Mueller | Canada | -- | -- | 1 | $144,049 |
| 99th | Yan Chen | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $143,400 |
| 100th | Joseph Michael | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $142,080 |
| 101st | Jason Mercier | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $139,265 |
| 102nd | Shawn Buchanan | Canada | -- | -- | 1 | $139,265 |
| 103rd | David Levi | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $137,280 |
| 104th | Cong Do | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $137,280 |
| 105th | Allen Kessler | United States | -- | 1 | 1 | $134,101 |
| 106th | Gabe Kaplan | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $131,424 |
| 107th | Kevin Song | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $128,620 |
| 108th | Ian Johns | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $125,142 |
| 109th | Josh Arieh | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $124,723 |
| 110th | Mike Binger | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $124,723 |
| 111th | Gus Hansen | Denmark | -- | -- | 1 | $123,895 |
| 112th | Mark Gregorich | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $117,216 |
| 113th | Stephen Wolff | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $117,216 |
| 114th | Rep Porter | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $116,571 |
| 115th | Todd Brunson | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $115,447 |
| 116th | Allen Bari | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $113,030 |
| 117th | Troy Burkholder | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $111,893 |
| 118th | Justin Smith | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $110,073 |
| 119th | Sebastian Ruthenberg | Germany | -- | -- | 1 | $108,503 |
| 120th | Viktor Blom | Sweden | -- | -- | 1 | $105,235 |
| 121st | Tim Phan | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $103,008 |
| 122nd | Greg Raymer | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $103,008 |
| 123rd | David Chiu | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $99,590 |
| 124th | Ilya Bulychev | Russia | -- | -- | 1 | $98,330 |
| 125th | Chris Reslock | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $88,800 |
| 126th | Chris Vitch | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $88,627 |
| 127th | John Racener | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $87,010 |
| 128th | Tony G | Lithuania | -- | -- | 1 | $83,630 |
| 129th | Talal Shakerchi | United Kingdom | -- | -- | 1 | $77,320 |
| 130th | Steve Billirakis | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $72,914 |
| 131st | John Kabbaj | United Kingdom | -- | -- | 1 | $72,914 |
| 132nd | Yehuda Buchalter | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $72,500 |
| 133rd | Randy Ohel | United States | -- | -- | 1 | $72,500 |
| 134th | Gary Benson | Australia | -- | -- | 1 | $55,947 |
| Totals | 16 | 13 | 96 | 198 | $71,136,001 |
Level 25
: 200,000/400,000, 0 ante
Since the inaugural version of the Poker Players Championship through until this very day, there have been 13 versions of the Poker Player Championship. In total, 16 different countries have been represented with an in-the-money finish.
The United States leads the way with 95 individual players, while the remainder of the countries all have less then 10 representatives. Here is how the statistics break down:
| Rank | Country | Players | Wins | Final Tables | Cashes | PPC Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | United States | 95 | 10 | 72 | 148 | $53,814,188 |
| 2nd | United Kingdom | 8 | 2 | 5 | 11 | $4,706,096 |
| 3rd | Canada | 6 | -- | 3 | 9 | $1,696,083 |
| 4th | Russia | 4 | 0 | 2 | 5 | $1,751,776 |
| T-5th | France | 3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | $2,176,601 |
| T-5th | Germany | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | $1,359,675 |
| T-5th | Sweden | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | $810,091 |
| T-5th | Australia | 3 | -- | -- | 5 | $497,349 |
| 9th | Finland | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | $425,575 |
| T-10th | Lebanon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | $2,360,462 |
| T-10th | Indonesia | 1 | -- | 1 | 1 | $436,865 |
| T-10th | Austria | 1 | -- | 1 | 1 | $419,337 |
| T-10th | Macau | 1 | -- | 1 | 1 | $286,122 |
| T-10th | Norway | 1 | -- | 1 | 1 | $188,256 |
| T-10th | Denmark | 1 | -- | -- | 1 | $123,895 |
| T-10th | Lithuania | 1 | -- | -- | 1 | $83,630 |
| Totals | 134 | 13 | 96 | 198 | $71,136,001 |
Level 25
: 200,000/400,000, 0 ante
No-Limit Hold'em
Michael Mizrachi raised to 225,000 from the button, John Hennigan three-bet to 750,000 from the big blind and Mizrachi called.
The flop came down 
and Hennigan continued for 700,000. Mizrachi raised to 2,000,000, Hennigan reraised all in for about 5,300,000 and Mizrachi called instantly with 
for a pair of nines with a flush draw. Hennigan held 
for an open-ended straight draw.
As the Mizrachi section hollered calling for a heart, the 
turn fell to give Mizrachi a winning flush, rendering the 
river (and Hennigan's straight) moot.
John Hennigan finished in second place for $765,937.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
21,750,000
5,800,000
|
5,800,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 25
: 200,000/400,000, 0 ante
2-7 Triple Draw
John Hennigan limped in and Michael Mizrachi raised from the big blind. Hennigan called.
On the first draw, Mizrachi took two while Hennigan took three. Mizrachi then bet. Hennigan raised. Mizrachi made it three bets and Hennigan called.
Mizrachi took one card on the second draw while Hennigan stood pat. Mizrachi then checked and called a bet from Hennigan.
On the final draw, Mizrachi stood pat and Hennigan decided to break and take one. Both players checked it down and Mizrachi showed up his 
and it was good for him to take down the pot as Hennigan mucked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
15,950,000
2,200,000
|
2,200,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
5,800,000
-2,200,000
|
-2,200,000 |
|
|
||
Level 25
: 200,000/400,000, 0 ante
2-7 Triple Draw
John Hennigan raised on the button and Michael Mizrachi called. Mizrachi took three and Hennigan one. Mizrachi checked dark, Hennigan bet and Mizrachi called. They both drew one and Mizrachi check-raised. Hennigan released.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
13,750,000
2,000,000
|
2,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
8,000,000
-2,000,000
|
-2,000,000 |
|
|
||
Level 25
: 200,000/400,000, 0 ante
Limit Hold'em
Michael Mizrachi raised from the button and John Hennigan called from the big blind.
The flop came down 
, Hennigan checked, Mizrachi bet and Hennigan check-raised. Mizrachi called, the 
turn fell, Hennigan bet and Mizrachi called. The 
river completed the board, Hennigan bet and Mizrachi called.
Hennigan tabled 
for trip aces, Mizrachi mucked and Hennigan won the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
11,750,000
-800,000
|
-800,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
10,000,000
800,000
|
800,000 |
|
|
||
Level 25
: 200,000/400,000, 0 ante
Limit Hold'em
On the button, Michael Mizrachi raised and John Hennigan called.
The flop was 
and Hennigan checked then called a bet from Mizrachi.
The turn was the and Hennigan checked again. Mizrachi put out a bet and Hennigan decided to check-raise. Mizrachi thought for a bit then called.
On the 
river, Hennigan checked over to Mizrachi. Mizrachi bet and Hennigan quickly folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
12,550,000
1,450,000
|
1,450,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
9,200,000
-1,450,000
|
-1,450,000 |
|
|
||